So I'm A Double Threat Read online

  So yes…we’re all going to the Homecoming Dance. I’m going with Eric. Can you believe it? I’m going to the dance as a freshman. This is kind of a rare thing, for ninth graders to go. It’s pretty surprising since we can’t drive ourselves, and I’d die if our parents had to take us. But Lydia volunteered to chauffeur all of us peons in her parent’s Suburban.

  So yes, this means the rest of the girls are going too. Steph is going with Josh and Keesh is going with Jonathan. I already know it’s going to be a great night since our dates are close friends. We won’t have to worry about anyone feeling left out.

  The only one missing from our night will be Amy. Surprise, surprise. She’s going with Alex so she’ll be with the seniors the entire night. And Ben? I guess he’s not going. I put off Eric for as long as possible, trying to hold out for Ben to ask me, but he never did. Every time I mentioned homecoming, he changed the subject. I don’t know what the deal is. I know he can dance, so what’s his freakin’ problem? When I finally told him I was going with Eric, he acted like a jerk. He actually told me I’d be bored and he wouldn’t go if he were me. How rude.

  It pisses me off he acted like such an ass about me going. He doesn’t want to take me to the dance and he doesn’t want Eric to take me either. What? Am I supposed to just sit at home like a nerd while all my friends are out at our first high school dance?

  It’s rally day. How freakin’ cool. Today is going to be so awesome. I love ASB. We get to miss our first four classes. We’re all excused to help with the rally. What makes it even better is we’ve all convinced our parents to excuse us from fifth and sixth period too. So when the rally is over, we’re going to walk over to the Steel Grill for lunch and then head back to my house to get ready for the football game. Oh my gosh, I hope Lydia wins.

  By the time I arrive at the auditorium, it’s swarming with students. Rally committee members are setting up the decorations and blowing up balloons. Keesh and I don’t have much to do until tonight’s game and the dance tomorrow. Those two events are our committee’s responsibility. Instead, we just walk around and wait for show time.

  Amy and Steph are glued to a spot backstage near the curtain taking care of last minute details. They look like real stage hands with headsets and clipboards. I wonder if they know what they’re doing. If they don’t, they’re doing a good job of faking it. They have me fooled.

  As we cruise around backstage, I catch a glimpse of Ben going into the guy’s dressing room.

  “Ben,” I shout.

  He looks back at me, half-smiles, and keeps walking. He doesn’t stop to say anything or flash me one of his big smiles. In fact, he looks at me like I’m a stranger. What’s his problem? What’s he even doing here in the first place? He’s not in ASB.

  Whatever. Keesha and I make our way to our seats in a section taped off for ASB—right in front, of course. It isn’t long before the rest of the student body files into the auditorium for the big show. I take some time to soak in my first real rally. The others don’t count. They consisted of stupid class competitions usually rigged so the seniors could win. We’ve been told the homecoming and backwards rallies are the best. The skits are supposed to be awesome, so I can’t wait to see them.

  The auditorium looks incredible with giant pictures of the princesses and the divas hanging from the ceiling. The amount of glitter used to spell out “The C-High Divas” can probably fill the football stadium.

  Just as the National Anthem starts, my phone begins to vibrate. Some students think this part of the rally is stupid but I love it. The sound of the Star Spangled Banner, especially sung live like now, brings tears to my eyes. It’s such a powerful song. When it’s over, I take out my phone to discover I have a text from Steph.

  MEG DON’T FREAK. BEN HAS A GF. IM SO SORRY.

  Huh? I show Keesh the message, she looks just as surprised and confused as I am. I text back.

  WTF r u talkng bout?

  Seconds later my phone shakes again with a text from Amy:

  Meg, I promise IDK anything or I wldve told u. I promise.

  I barely finish reading it before the phone buzzes again. This time it’s from Lydia.

  IDK ethr. Just so u no…Bens an A$$HOLE.

  What the hell are they talking about?

  Keesh smacks me and points to the stage. What is Ben doing up there?

  “I’d like to announce our first princess, Vanessa Reyes, escorted today by her boyfriend, Ben Calloway. Vanessa enjoys going to the movies, eating Mexican food, cheerleading, and talking to her boyfriend Ben on the phone for hours every night. Please give a hand for our Princess Vanessa.” Everyone cheers as the couple does their catwalk across the stage, ending up front and center.

  I’m only two rows back with my mouth hanging open. Ben and Vanessa’s smiles radiate into the audience as the students cheer. It’s chance when Ben’s eyes meet mine. His smile disappears for a split second before he continues playing his part.

  Keesh puts her hand on mine.

  WTF is going on here? My mind replays every moment from the first time I met Ben until just now—in slow motion like a suspense movie. I guess now I know why Ben doesn’t call me until late at night. He has to talk to his freakin’ girlfriend first. Oh…and at least now I know why he didn’t want me to go to the dance. Did he think he could keep this from me? Did he think my friends wouldn’t tell me about it? Well…hell…I guess he did a good job of keeping this a secret until now. I’m such a dumb ass. Crap. It was Vanessa in the parking lot that day when he left me hanging. Damn it…I’m an idiot. Vanessa is an idiot.

  The rally continues but it’s silenced by the thoughts going on in my head. The rest of the princesses are announced, including Jen and Lydia, but I can’t bring myself to cheer.

  High school sucks.

  Guys suck.

  The rally is over. Keesh stands up. She looks down at me with a frown.

  “Come on. Don’t even trip. He’s not worth it anyway. Everything’s gonna be okay.” She holds out her hand and we walk together, arms linked, out of the auditorium.

  “Don’t worry ‘bout me…I’m good. Ben can do whatever he wants. He doesn’t owe me anything. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends, remember? It’s no big thing,” I fight back the tears beginning to well up in my eyes. Seeing him on stage all hugged up with another girl made me realize my feelings for him may have been stronger than I was willing to admit. First Alex, now Ben. I’m destined to be alone.

  Time seems to fade away as we head to the Steel Grill for lunch. It’s like one of those out of body experiences you see on a haunted house documentary. I’m going through the motions, but it’s like I’m not totally here. If there is such thing as an afterlife, this is what I’d imagine it to be. Things are going on around me, but it’s like I’m not really part of it.

  We waste a lot of time at lunch and then head back to school for the game. I hardly pay attention to Alex when he’s on the field. Not like I usually do. At halftime, the goth chick is crowned the queen. I have a million feelings darting around in my head like little sparks of electricity. I try to act as normal, but anyone who knows me knows I’m off. I’ll get over it.

  Amy and Lydia both spend some time apologizing for not giving me the heads up. Heads up for what? It’s not like Ben was my boyfriend. I guess they just figure they should’ve known something since they’re around him so much. They say they were surprised themselves. They honestly had no clue Ben was with Vanessa.

  Why didn’t anyone know about this? Why was it a secret? I mean…Amy hangs out with these guys at lunch…doesn’t Ben do anything with Vanessa at school? Oh well…it doesn’t matter. He has a girlfriend. He is going with her to homecoming. I’m going with Eric. I just thought Ben was a good friend. I guess he isn’t. He hasn’t even called me. Can you believe that? He hasn’t even called me. You would think he would’ve at least called, especially after the way his face went blank when he caught me staring at him at the rally.

  Why did h
e bother taking me to lunch? That hug. Oh my gosh, that hug. It was perfect. Why did he hold my hand? Why? I don’t get it.

  Whatever. I’m over it.

  Yeah right.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It’s Saturday. I wake up to Ne-Yo singing to me. Well, he isn’t really singing to me. It’s my ringtone. Steph is calling me.

  “Hey, we’re all gonna meet at my house at seven thirty. I already called Eric to let him know, so you just need to get here, okay?” Steph sounds out of breath, but still loud as hell.

  “Oh. Okay.” I’m still groggy. “Is everything okay? You sound like you’re breathing heavy.”

  “Yeah, I just ran a mile. I wanna sweat off as much as I can before I have to squeeze my big bootie into that dress.”

  We both chuckle.

  “How you doing, Meg? Do you feel better today?” It’s just like Steph to be concerned.

  “Totally. I’m not gonna let Ben ruin my night. Eric’s hot and he’s a freakin’ awesome kisser, so I’m gonna have some fun with him and get my freak on with my girls. So you better be ready. Don’t worry about me, okay,” I tell her, giving myself a pep talk.

  “That’s my girl,” Steph squeals. “Hey check with your mom about what time you have to be home. We might go to Denny’s or something after the dance.”

  “Oh, okay. I think she’ll be cool with whatever.”

  “See ya at seven thirty.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  I roll out of bed and spend the rest of the day with my mother going through the whole beautification process. We go for a mani-pedi at one of those cheap salons—you know the ones where the ladies speak Vietnamese to each other while they clip your toes. Then, we go to the mall where a male hair stylist gives me an updo. Seriously, a dude is doing my hair for homecoming.

  When we get to Steph’s house, my mom goes in and hangs out with all the parents. They’re all there gushing over us and dying to take pictures. We all look fabulous. The guys look nice in their black suits. I wonder how long they’ll last at the dance in their jackets and ties. The girls look just as I had pictured—pretty much the same as we did in the dressing room at the mall, but with a lot more make-up and better hair. Keesh, Steph, and I opted for more practical dresses—beautiful, but inexpensive. None of us were willing to spend our parent’s mortgage or car payments on an expensive dress we’d only wear once. Amy, on the other hand, got her dress from some fancy mall in L.A. She was adamant about making sure no one else would be wearing the same dress as her. I’m sure she looks stunning. She and Alex aren’t going with us so I’ll have to wait and check her out at the dance.

  My dress is all black, strapless, and flares out from just below my boobs. The lady in the store called it an empire-waist dress—it’s supposed to be a good style for girls my size. The fit is actually flattering once I strap on my heels. They make my legs look a tad longer. I can use all the help I can get. Eric’s suit is all black as well. He looks handsome with his hair all gelled and spiked. He smells good too. I’ve never noticed he wears cologne.

  After several camera flashes and a plethora of poses, we all pile in the Suburban for the dance. I feel like a celebrity being hounded by the paparazzi with all the pictures being taken. I take comfort in knowing we don’t have to work the dance after all. Mr. Mitchell called us this afternoon to let us know all the decorations were finished and we could just come to the dance when it started. I was relieved at the time but maybe I could’ve used the distraction.

  The music is already bumpin’ when we get here. We only arrive about forty five minutes late. Lydia said it sucked to be the first ones there so we took our time. We all stop at the check-in table to hand over our tickets. We get the friendly-frisk from security, and take pictures, again. The last pic we take is a group picture, just the freshmen till Amy spots us and jumps in the picture with Alex. Whatever.

  Eric holds my hand and leads me onto the dance floor. Just as we make our way to the center, along with the rest of our friends, the music changes to a slow song.

  “Shall we?” He smiles and holds his arms out.

  “Of course.”

  I blush, setting my hands on his shoulders, as he pulls me in closer. For the first time since yesterday morning, I feel good. It’s nice being in Eric’s arms. What’s he wearing? He smells so good.

  We move slowly, back and forth, getting closer and closer as I hug him tighter. He’s much taller than me, even with my heels. He leans over and nuzzles his cheek next to my ear as I bury my face in his chest. I don’t know what comes over me, but I look up and gently kiss his neck. It sends flutters down from my head to my toes. He leans back, smiles at me, and continues dancing.

  I feel my cheeks get warm as blood rushes through my body. I can feel my pulse getting faster and faster. I take a moment to look around for my friends. I wonder if they noticed the kiss. Instead, I see Ben, staring at me as he dances with Vanessa. Her back is toward me.

  His stare is intense. How can he look at me in such a way? Especially when he’s so close to his date they may as well be one person. Ugh. My night has gone sour. The whole out of sight, out of mind thing was working until now. Just one glance and the anger, sadness, and embarrassment saturates my thoughts. I was such a fool to think he actually liked me.

  The music changes to hip hop and the crowd goes wild. Eric and I separate and begin to dance. I try my hardest to look like I’m having fun. The night started off so nice. I don’t want to ruin it for Eric because I’m such an idiot.

  For the rest of the night, I force myself to avoid looking in Ben’s direction. I do not want our eyes to meet again. I haven’t even talked to him since the rally, so I’m not about to start now. Not that he’d even want to talk to me.

  The dance ends and the crowds herd out into the parking lot. We have a big group so by the time we all get to the truck and make it inside Denny’s, the place is packed. We walk in and it’s standing room only as we wait to be seated. When we finally squeeze into a corner to wait, I take a second to look all around.

  Holy shit. I have the worst luck ever.

  Ben and Vanessa are standing right behind me. I mean right behind me, like we’re almost touching. Eric must notice too because he quickly puts his arm on my shoulder. Everyone else just watches us, like they’re waiting for something to happen. Do they seriously think I’m going to flip out or what? Even Alex looks worried, nodding at me. He casts an it’s going to be okay smile my way.

  It sucks the place is so packed because I can almost feel Ben’s breath on my neck. We’re like freakin’ smashed so close together. What did I do to deserve this torture?

  Hang on just one minute. What the hell is that? I look down at my hand hanging by my side and see Ben’s index finger gently tucked inside my palm.

  “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I shout at him as I swing around and hit him in the chest.

  “What’s your problem?” Vanessa yells, as she gets in my face.

  “Why don’t you ask your stupid boyfriend?” I take another step toward her.

  Everyone is now staring at us.

  “Ben, what’s she talking about? Do you even know her?” She knows he does.

  “Yeah. Kinda. She’s one of Lydia’s little sister’s friends. Don’t even trip, it’s nothing,” he mumbles to her softly but I can still hear. I’m right here, you jerk. Everyone can hear his absurd comment. It’s so quiet at this point, you can actually hear the hum of the cash register.

  Lydia’s little sister’s friend? That’s what I am to him?

  “Dude, you’re such a frickin’ punk, man,” Eric snarls.

  “What the hell did you just say?” Ben scoots Vanessa to the side and gets in his face.

  “Ben. Chill.” I hear Alex’s voice as he steps between them.

  Ben and Eric glare at each other, taking heaving breaths of air with their fists clenched at their sides. Eventually they back off and calm down.

  Alex relaxes as well. His focus unexpectedly chang
es to me. He sweeps my hair out of my face with the tips of his fingers, then cups his hand on my cheek, and smiles.

  I look up and gaze into his soothing eyes.

  “Hey, Lyd, let’s go somewhere else,” he shouts to Lydia. Our eyes still fixed on each other.

  I hear her yell back, “Sounds good.”

  We break our stare, and set out with our friends to leave Denny’s and Ben behind.

  Alex is still at my side. Eric is now walking with Amy.

  “I saw what he did,” Alex says.

  “He’s an ass,” I mutter.

  “I guess now wouldn’t be a good time to tell you I told you so.” Alex laughs.

  I smile.

  We walk a few steps in silence.

  “Alex,” I croak, holding back tears. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I’m sorry but I just need to go home,” I whisper to Eric, as we pull out of the Denny’s parking lot.

  “It’s okay, I understand.” He looks straight ahead. Is he mad at me?

  “Hey, Lyd. Can you drop me off at home before you guys head to the next restaurant? Please,” I shout to her.

  “No problem,” she calls back.

  I’m just not in the mood anymore to keep putting on a show. I’m not sure if the rest of the group noticed Ben’s wondering hand and I’m not ready to hash out the details—which will be the first thing they ask about once we get to wherever it is we’re going next.

  Lydia pulls up to my house and Eric opens the door to let me out. Keesh and Steph murmur goodbyes and I thank Lydia for driving us. I’m glad none of my friends pressure me to talk or try to convince me to stay out with them.

  “It’s too bad the night couldn’t have been different,” Eric says, softly. “I should knock that guy out the next time I see him.”